The present invention relates generally to methods and devices for preserving whole citrus fruits and in particular whole oranges.
Citrus fruits, and in particular oranges, are a popular food throughout the world. Citrus fruits taste good, are nutritious, and are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals. Citrus fruits are used as food in many different ways. Citrus fruits, among other things, may be peeled and eaten whole, squeezed to make citrus juice, or included as ingredients in other food dishes. Because of their sensitivity to climatic conditions, citrus fruits grow only in the warmer regions of the world. Their popularity, however, necessitates their shipment to regions where they are not indigenous.
Citrus fruits are characterized by having juice sacs and rag (segment membranes). The rag separates the numerous juice sacs within each individual citrus fruit. Additionally, citrus fruits are best picked when ripe. Unlike many other fruits, citrus fruits afford little latitude for ripe harvesting; if they become overripe, citrus fruits experience a degradation in flavor. Thus, after being harvested, they must be quickly processed and/or transported to consumers before a deterioration in flavor occurs. Furthermore, citrus fruits are soft and easily bruised, and will spoil if kept in an overly warm environment. Thus, a method and apparatus for storing and preserving citrus fruits in a cool environment such that their food quality, flavor, and appearance does not deteriorate are necessary for consumer satisfaction.
A number of fruit-preserving methods have been devised, a few of which are discussed below. For example, a process for preserving olives is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 860,185 to Bedford et al. Bedford describes an olive preservation process wherein olives are submerged in water maintained at a temperature ranging from 32 degrees F. to 50 degrees F. Olives, however, are different from citrus fruits in that they do not contain juice sacs and rag. Rather, olives are a firm fruit having a single-stone seed.
Babbitt, in U.S. Pat. No. 496,376, discloses a method for protecting the buds of fruit trees. The limbs of the fruit trees are sprayed with water when the temperature has fallen below the freezing point of water. The water encases the limbs and the buds in an ice coating. This coating protects the buds, for a very short period of time, from such extreme low temperatures as would destroy the fruit buds. This patent, however, does not address the storage and preservation of picked citrus fruits.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for storing and preserving fruits that are characterized by having juice sacs and rag for extended time periods whereby the food quality flavor of the internal juices are maintained and the external appearance does not deteriorate.